All Forum Posts by: Sherylyn Holden

Quote from @Matt Agnew:

This is helpful info thanks! My wife and I are looking at getting our first STR property this year!

That's awesome, Matt!! I absolutely love answering questions on anything STR related, so please let me know if anything comes up!

The monthly payment difference would be something like $100. I'd go with the bigger property!

STR owners have historically been responsible for collecting and paying Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) directly to the city of San Antonio. Operators were required to collect a 9% city HOT and a 1.75% Bexar County HOT from guests. Monthly HOT reports are to be filed, even if no rentals occurred during that period.

There has been an agreement between the city of San Antonio and some participating platforms like Airbnb, VRBO, and HomeAway to allow these platforms to collect and pay the city HOT directly to the city. However, STR owners are still responsible for paying the Bexar County HOT and filing the monthly report. The date that this change is set to occur keeps delaying, but as of now, the transition is to begin March 10th, 2025.

In an email from the Development Services Department,

"Here is a quick update on the revised Short Term Rental ordinance approved by City Council on June 13, 2024. There will be a change in reporting/remitting the Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) depending on which online platforms you use to rent your property.

Starting March 10, 2025

If your short-term rental is advertised through a platform that remits HOT directly to the State of Texas (Airbnb, VRBO, or HomeAway), the platform will begin paying the City HOT on behalf of the operators. However, all operators will be required to:

• Continue to file reports and pay Bexar County HOT through Avenu.
• File City HOT reports through Avenu and pay any taxes not collected and remitted by these two platforms. If your short-term rental is not rented through Airbnb, VRBO, or HomeAway, the operator must continue to report and pay monthly City and County HOT to the City through Avenu.

Regardless of whether the online platform remits the City HOT directly for you or not, all operators are required to file a monthly tax report through Avenu for City and County.

The table below further summarizes this new timeline of the operator's responsibility to report and pay HOT for the upcoming months:

IF YOUR	IN JANUARY	IN FEBRUARY	IN MARCH
Platform Remits State HOT	Operators must Report & Pay December City & County HOT through Avenu	Operators must Report & Pay January City & County HOT through Avenu	1. Operators must Report February City & County HOT through Avenu** This means you have to file the full amount and list deductions for the account(s) the platform(s) paid to the City, and 2. Operators must Pay County HOT through Avenu
Platform Does not Remit State HOT	Operators must Report & Pay December City & County HOT through Avenu	Operators must Report & Pay January City & County HOT through Avenu	Operators must Report & Pay February City & County HOT through Avenu

**Platforms that collect Texas State HOT will Pay City HOT directly to City**

An updated FAQ summarizing this update to the HOT compliance timeline and more is available on our SASpeakUp site. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact the City’s Finance Department at https://avenuinsights.service-now.com/csp."

Hi Jack! I have multiple Airbnbs in the North and Northwest side of San Antonio, and these are probably my best performing properties. It's a great location! In my experience, I tend to say the more bedrooms, the better! Simply because you can charge more, which usually isn't an issue for guests as they are splitting the costs amongst friends or family members. Please reach out if you'd like more info! I'm happy to share real data on my properties. Congrats on your upcoming investment!

Quote from @Jared Elms:

This absolutely sucks, they should be held accountable.

Agreed!  

UPDATE!!

The city board of adjustment meeting was held today and we presented our case and explained that we made huge investments into the home to remodel and furnish it with the belief that we would be able to operate it as an STR since we had an approved permit.

The Board denied my request and did not take any responsibility. 

Meeting with a lawyer later this week to see if I have any case here but wanted to provide a brief update in the interim.

Quote from @Mike Hansen:

Hello everyone. Active duty military and New here to BP while still considering myself new to REI. I do have a couple of LTRs between SFH and duplexes but looking to get into STRs and expanding my current portfolio. I believe there's always a deal to be made but one must have the necessary tools and most of the time those tools are Individuals with Experience. Let’s network!!!

 Hey Mike! I’m a local agent and investor with primary focus on STRs. I currently have 5 STRs here in San Antonio, so please let me know if you have any questions regarding the process! 

Quote from @Ashton Rodgers:

The last four years I've been successfully flipping land. I'm looking to expand into RE and couldn't be more excited. I currently live in San Antonio and would love to connect with those near and far. I'm in the process of "building my team" as all the books have recommended doing. Stoked to learn, happy to help anyone I can.   

 Hi Ashton! I am a local agent and investor as well as a native to San Antonio. I primarily deal with single-family homes for investors looking to short-term or long-term rent, while my husband has a property flipping business. Please let me know if there’s any way I can assist you! (:

Quote from @Or Uzi:

Hi everyone, my name is Or and I'm out of state investor from Israel. I'm a cash buyer looking to invest in San Antonio, Texas and would love to connect with agents, wholesalers and contractors. Looking to do fix and flips and rentals as well. 

 Hi Or! You are inspiring investing from Israel! I am an agent and investor here in San Antonio. I have several single-family homes here locally, operating as short-term rentals and long-term rentals. My husband recently began flipping homes as well. Please let me know if there’s any way I can assist you. 

If you’ve already found these connections, I wish you the best of luck in your real estate journey here! (:

Quote from @Rudy Galan:

Im here because I do want to make some investments and grow in real estate. Seeing what bigger pockets is about, how has bigger pockets been to you? I would love to hear from real people

Hi Rudy! BiggerPockets is absolutely everything to me. I listened to the podcast, read the books, and connected with some great people through BiggerPockets. It took me a couple of years to finally take action and start my real estate investing journey, but I continue to use BP as my #1 go-to resource. Now, I have been successfully investing in the San Antonio market since 2019 with 6 rental properties in my portfolio. I primarily deal with short-term rentals and long-term rentals, and my husband recently started flipping. We’ve done the BRRRR strategy and even some creative finance deals. If you have any questions on any of these strategies, I’m always available for a chat! 

Hope this helps! (: